Denise Russell Fleming: Leading with Trust at Enterprise Scale

There is no better guest to celebrate our 100th Whisperers episode with than Denise Russell Fleming, CIO and EVP of Technology & Global Services at BD. Denise has built a remarkable career across telecom, aerospace, defense, and healthcare, leading large-scale transformation while staying laser-focused on three vital areas: purpose, people, and impact. Throughout her leadership journey, her ability to ensure clarity and deliver outcomes at scale has made her the go-to for orchestrating the most complex cross-company, high-stakes initiatives.

Denise embodies everything it means to be a Tech Whisperer. In this episode, we’re unpacking her playbook, the experiences that shaped her career, and the lessons she’s learned—and that you can apply—from navigating complex transformations.

Connect with Denise: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deniserussellfleming/

BD: https://www.bd.com/

Tune in for wisdom from Denise’s journey, including:

1. Balancing executive responsibilities, community engagement, and personal growth
2. The key to wearing multiple leadership hats simultaneously
3. Finding alignment between enterprise strategy and IT investment
4. Leading enterprise-scale transformation in highly regulated areas

Featuring submitted questions from:

1. Ted Colbert, Former President & CEO, Boeing Defense, Space, & Security
2. Larry Quinlan, 11x Board Director, Former CIO, Whisperers Guest - Episode 7
3. Michael Bennett, Board Member, Former CIO
4. Dani Brown, EVP & CIO, Whirlpool, 3x Board Director, Episode 4 Whisperers Guest
5. Hermes Vallejo, VP of IT, Medical Segment NA, Marketing, R&D RAQA, BD
6. Rona Bunn, CIO, NACD (National Assoc of Corp Directors), Episode 32 Guest
7. Sabina Ewing, CIO, Business & Technology Services, Abbott, Episode 11 Guest
8. Tony Ezell, President of the Americas & Chief Marketing Officer, BD
9. Bharat Amin, 4x Board Member, Former CIO
10. Earl Newsome, CIO, Cummins, Episode 71 Guest